Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Trading Up 0.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) rose 0.2% during mid-day trading on Monday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $175.00 to $205.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Philip Morris International traded as high as $171.52 and last traded at $171.23. Approximately 459,092 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 5,537,550 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.86.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price objective (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $166.33.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 115.0% in the first quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 215 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the first quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.4 %

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.57. The company has a market capitalization of $266.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The company's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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